Improvement in explosive projectiles



T. H. BURROWES Shell.

- No. 40,396. Patented Oct. 2-7, 1863.

FFICE.

THOMAS H. BURROVVES, OF CHIOOPFE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN EXPLOSIVE PROJECTlLES.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. BURRowEs, of Chicopee, in the county ofHampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Projectiles lor Ordnance; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear,..and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of acomplete projectile constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is aside view of the same without the packing. Fig. 3 is a transversesection in the line as a; of Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in theseveral figures.

This invention consists in a certain peculiar construction of and modeof loading an explosive projectile for the purpose of scatteringinflammable matter before the bursting of the projectile; also, in acertain peculiar construction of the rear portion of an elongated projectile for the purpose of retaining a packing of felt-or other material.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is thebody of the projectile, divided transversely byapartition, 6,into two compartments or chambers, to and b, of which the front one, a,is to contain the bursting-charge of gunpowder, and the rear one, b, tocontain alternate layers, (1 d and c c, of gunpowder-and an inflammablecompound.

B is a fuse-tube screwed into the partition 0, and extendinglongitudinally and centrally through the chamber 1), for the receptionof the fuse. This tube is open at its front end to the chamber a, andhas holes it drilled in its sides, to communicate with the severallayers (1 d and c0 of gunpowder and inflammable matter in the chamber1), and is closed at its rear end by what I term the fuseshield 0,consisting of a flanged plug which screws into a thin tube or thimble,f, whichis itself screwed into the base of the projectile, the flange gof the said plug coming to a bearing against the base of the projectile,to prevent it from being driven in by the explosion of the charge of thegun and to prevent the fuse from being driven into the chamber a. tralorifice, j, through which the fire from the charge of the gun ignitesthe fuse in the tube B. The chamber a is loaded at the front of theprojectile, wherelthere is provided a hole The said plug has a smallcen-' which is closed by a screw-plug, h, and the chamber 2) is loadedat the rear before the tube f and plug. 0 are inserted. WVhcn the gun isfired, the fuse is ignited through the hole j in the fuse-shield, andthe fire, on reaching the first hole or series of holes, i, ignites thefirst layer, cl, of gunpowder in the chamber 1), which blows out theshield 0. As the fire of the fuse successively reaches the several holesor series of holes t i, and the several charges of inflammable materialand gunpowder c c and (Z (Z, the inflammable material is first ignited,and then blown out by the explosion or the gunpowder, and so scatteredamong the enemy, setting on fire everything with which it comes incontact, and the fire, finally reaching the burstingcharge in thechamber a, causes the projectile to burst like an ordinary shell.

The inflammable composition above spoken of is composed f four (4)parts, by weight. of mealgunpowder, three (3) of sulphur, and five (5)of tar or pitch mixed together.

To provide for holding on the packing E, there are provided on the rearportion of the body A, which is considerab y smaller than the fullcaliber of the projectile, a number of longitudinal fins, k 7;, of whatI call threeway dovetail form, as is illustrated by the several figuresofthe drawings. Fig. 3 shows them to be of dovetail form transversely.Fig. 1 shows them to be of dovetail form in their longitudinal section,taken in a plane radial to the axis of the projectile; and Fig. -2 showsthem to be of corresponding form in their longitudinal section, taken ina plane at right angles to Fig. 1. j p

The pack'ng may be of felt, india-rubber, or other soft material, put oneither in rings or in a solid mass, and by entering the threewaydovetail cavities formed between the said fins 7.; 7:: it is heldsecurely upon the projectile.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The arrangement within a projectile for ordnance of alternate layers.of gunpowder, and of an inflammable material which is capable of settingfire to bodies on which it falls, substantially as herein specified.

2. The perforated fuse-tube B, applied in combination with the twochambers a and b and the fuse-shield G, substantially as and for thepurpose herein specified.

THOS. H. .BURROXVES.

IVitnesses:

S. ADAMS, N. WHITTIER.

